An absorbent article refers to products such as diapers, sanitary napkins, training pants, incontinent garments, overnight pads, panty liners, underarm shields. Such articles are designed to absorb body fluid, such as urine, menses, blood, perspiration, and other excrements discharged by a body. Sanitary napkins, also referred to as catamenial pads, feminine pads, overnight pads, panty liners and panty shields are designed to be worn by a female to absorb menses and other body fluids discharged before, during and after a menstrual period. Such products are external devices which are generally held in position by a garment attachment adhesive or by a mechanical attachment to an adjacent undergarment. Such articles differ from tampons which are classified as internal devices and which are designed to be physically inserted into a woman's vagina.
Today, there is a move by manufacturers to make external sanitary products thinner than in the past so that they are more discrete while delivering an equal amount of fluid capacity as the thicker products. This evolution has seen a decrease in thickness of sanitary products from about 25 millimeters (mm), down to about 10 mm, and even down to a thickness of less than 5 mm. The primary reason for the reduction in thickness has been the use of new superabsorbent materials. However, superabsorbent materials are very expensive and can cause gel blocking as they swell up with fluid. Because of this, there is a desire to construct an absorbent article, especially a thin article, which has adequate fluid capacity and rapid fluid intake while using a lesser amount of superabsorbent or by eliminating superabsorbents altogether. This will substantially reduce the cost of manufacturing such an article.
It is also desirable to construct an absorbent article which can deliver a post-use visual signal to the user that the body fluid is staying in the center of the article. If the fluid stain approaches the side edges of the absorbent article, the user could clearly see that the article needs to be changed.
Another important aspect of absorbent articles is their ability to wick menses. Menses is very viscous and can contain small particles of body tissue which tend to cling to the cover and can restrict the passage of additional body fluid into the absorbent article. Manufacturers of absorbent articles are always on the lookout for a new material or arrangement of layers which will provide improved wicking capabilities.
Now an absorbent article has been invented which utilizes an absorbent having a high wicking capability, especially for menses, as well as providing a post-use visual signal to the user that the body fluid is staying in the center of the article.